Method of burning argillaceous material and product resulting therefrom



' bUflllNU U 'l VLHS 'U Patented Apr. 2, 1929.

UNITED STATES swarm J. mama, or assess an mssoum, assrenoa ro'maareau aeeaaeairn COMPANY, or mass can, mssouar, a conroaa'rron or mssouax.

- HETHOD OI BURNING- ABGILLACEOUS Io Drawing.

, light weight aggregate for concrete and other molded into proper form and purposes, but more especially for concrete for the making of'sewer pipe, tile, terra cotta, paving blocks, brick, bodies or forms for ship building and like molded articles, also mortar for brick and masonry work, stucco, plastering and paving, from a raw material of an argillaceous or cla eycharacter and which, upon being burne will harden and form a clinker or mass which is subsequently crushed, and then mixed with a suitable cementitious material and the mixture ermitted to harden; and particularly to the urning step or operation to which such material is sub jected in order to produce the hard mass 'or substance which, when crushed, forms the basis of the article produced, and theparticles of which crushed material are cemented together by the cement employed to thereby produce the finished product.

The present case is in art a continuation of an application filed {ebruary 28, 1919, Serial Number 279,906. I

By my rocess the basic raw material, in substantia ly the same condition as that in which it comes from the original deposit, maly be broken up or s'e )arated into any sultab e sizes, for example, it may be broken so as to ass a screen of about a four inch mesh, it liaving been found that screened to approxlmately this size good results are secured; or,

if desired, the material may be otherwise formed into appropriate sizes. The material thus prepared is then burned in any suitable kiln at a temperature in excessof 1500 Fahrenheit, it having been-found that by emplo ing the temperatures specified, the

effect is to first expand the material, destroy the organic matter therein, and roduce a hard mass'or clinker-of cellular ormation.-

The temperature and the burning period are,

' it will be understood, to be so regulated as to give the hard cellular formation without carr 'ng the burnin to such an extent as to vitrlfy the materia, although, ofcoprse, during the-period in which the large p eces are expanded and converted into the hard cellular-like formation referred to, small particles, which may be broken from the larger pieces and subjected to burning, may vitrify, the process contemplating.-,however, contmuing flie burning step only for alength of time MATERIAL AND PRODUCT RESULTING IE EBB IBOI.

Application filed l'ebru ai'y 10, 1820. Serial No. 857,781.

sufficient to insure that the bulk of greater proportion of the product will be in expaud'ed or cellular condition, for if the burnmg is continued beyond a certain period and temperature, the result will be to vitrify all of the material. 60

I have found a maximum amount of the product and a more uniform product is obtained if the material is subjected to the highest temperature emplo ed 1n burning, at the very beginning of the urning process. 05

This subjecting of the material to intense heat at the beginnin of the burning action rapidly softens and fuses the same to a degree, and tends to sear over the exterior surface of the material being burned, while I at the same time an organic matter in the materia and produces a clinker having an internal cellular structure within the same characterized by the presence of an extremely large number of minute cells or cavities within the body or mass of the material'so' burned. 7 The cellular structure having been once produced will be present in the product at the end of the burning operation, and, when 35 the burned, material is crushed, the particles thereof will have a cellular structure, and a rough and itted surface. The cementitious material 511' sequentlv mixed with the crushed particles will therefore obtain a firm hold upon the ma hened exterior'surface thereof, and form a rm bond between them and the cementing material, thus providing a stronger union between the particles and a stronger finished product than would otherwise be the case.

' Furthermore, the cellular structure of the particles which are cemented to ether secures or results ina less dense finishe product,- because the material, while of a cellular forr'nation, is-not of a porous or absorptive character or nature.

burning process wherein my invention con-' sists may be clay, shale, shale rock other ar illaceousmaterial.

The high temperature to which the material is subjected at the beginning of the or any .105

pass through a screen of any .desired' size, and finer particles graduated down .to

impalpable dust. The coarser particles are then mixed with some of the 'finer particles to produce an aggregate, which when mixed with cement wi l, by the addition of water, be converted into a concrete that is'particularly adapted for the u'sesand purposes hereinbefore stated. I

I regard my invention as comprehending and including (1) the improved method of burning an argillaceous material as hereinbefore explained; (2) the hardened cellular groduct thus obtained in performing the urning process; (3) the crushed material made up of particles having rough and pitted exterior surfaces and an internal cellular structure, (4) the concrete mixture obtained by mixing such crushed material with cementitious material, and (5) the product ob- .tained by treating such mixture of crushed material and cementitious material with water and permittin the mixture to harden within'a suitable mo d, or otherwise shaping the mixture the form of the finished article or structure and have so claimed my invention in the following claims.

. It will be understood that while I have described a particular and novel process by which the novel product may be producer and that the best and only process now known to me, I do not limit myself to the specific method set forth for ma 'ng this new product, as such novel roduct, it is conceivable, may be secured y other and difi'erent methods of treatment. Furthermore, such variations of the particular rocess herein set forth as are within the skil of the operator and do not depart substantiall from the method herein set forth, are to regarded as within the scope of my invention. I am aware that it has been heretofore rosed to manufacture a porous materia ;by ii atin pieces or plates of slate and sawingthe cafiined mater al into the shapes desire or preparin it for mixture with a binding material an molding such mixture. nvention, however, contemplates an initial division of the material to be treated into a relatively fine condition and the product which 'I obtain is quite different from the c t xxcalcined slate referred to. Further, my imbvexpansively burning such natural ma-- ter al, preliminarily subdivided into a relatively fine condition, and crushing the burned product.

By the term expansively burned as employed in certain of the appended claims is meant the product obtained by subjecting a natural, or raw, material to treatment, whereby the material will be rendered of cellular form by the expansive action of uses and moisture contained therein due to t 1e sudden application of. a relative high temperature as distinguished from the combustion of the fuel constituent of a mixture of fuel and clay.

Having thus described and explained my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. The process of burning an argillaceous material tofproduce an aggregate for the purposes speci ed which, consists in sub ecting said material to the highest tem erature employed in burning the same at the beginning of the burning'process.

2. The process of burning an argillaceous material to roduce an aggregate for the purposes speci ed which consists in subjecting said material to the highest te erature employed in burning the same at t 1e beginning of the burningprocess, and completing the burning of said material at a lower temperature.

'of said material at a lower temperature.

4. The process of burning an argillaceous material which consists in sub'ecting said material to a temperature ranging between approximately 1500 degrees Fahrenheit to afiiproximately 2500 degrees Fahrenheit at t e beginning of the burning process, and completing the burning of said material at a lower temperature.

5. .The process of roducing material for use in making molded odies or articles, which consists in burning an argillaoeous material, the material being subjected at the beginning of the burning operation to the highest temperature employed and the burmn being completed at a' lower temperature, and crush: ing the burned material.

3. The process of burning an argillaceous erature in excess of 1500 amma-ear 106. COMPOSITIONS, 8 COATING R PLAS C 6. An aggregate produced by burning an argillaceous material in its natural state andin a relatively finely sub-divided condition, and crushing the burned product, the particles comprising the aggregate being char acterized by being free from laminations and the presence within the body thereof of a large number of minute cavitiesor cells.

7. An aggregate produced by burning argillaceous material in a relatively finely sub-divided. condition and crushing theburned product, the particles composing the aggregate being characterized by eing free from laminations and the presence within the body thereof of a. large number of minute cavities or cells produced by the expulsion of moisture and gaseous constituents originally resent in the said material.-

8. in aggregate produced by burning argillaceous material and crushing the burned product, the particles composing the aggregate being characterized by being free from laminations and the presence within the body thereof of a large number of minute cavities or cells produced by the expulsion of mois-- ture and gaseous constituents originally present in the said material.

9. An aggregate comprislng a mixture of coarse and fine non-laminated pieces of crushed expansively burned argillaceous material, the larger pieces having rough and pitted exteriors and minute cells or cavities within their bodies.

10. The herein described process 'of pro-' ducing an aggregate for the purposes'specified and the particles of which are free from laminations comprising dividing a raw'argillaceous material into relatively small pieces, burning such finely subdivided material, and crushing the burned product.

11. The crushed, expansively burned, argil' laceous material herein described com osed of non-laminated particles having roug and pitted exterior surfaces, and the interiors of which particles contain a large number of.

minute cells or cavities.

12. The process 'of making a non-laminated aggregate suitable for-the manufacture of molded articles which comprises expansively burning. a relativelyfinely subdivided raw unm'olded argillaceous material, and crushing the burned material.

13. An aggregate or material for use in Cross Reference manufacturing molded articles com rising crushed, expansively burned argi aceous material, s'aid aggregate being free from laminations.

14. A material for use in manufacturing molded articles comprising a mixture of crushed, expansively burned argillaceous material, said burned material'bemg free from laminations, and cementitious material.

15. The method of making a concrete material which consists in burning an argillaceous material in a relatively finely subdivided condition to produce particles characteriaed by the presence within the body thereofof a number of minute cavities or cells, crushing the burned material into fine and coarse pieces free from laminations, and

mixing a mixture of said fine and coarse pieces with a cementitious material.

16. A non-laminated aggregate or material for use in manufacturing molded articles comprising crushed, expansively burned, argillaceous material.

17. A concrete block or structure, consisting of cement, and an aggregate of vesicular material free from laminations or planes of cleavage resulting from subjecting suitable earthy material containing compounds capable of evolving gases to sufficient heat to incipiently fuse the material and render it vesicular, as and for the purpose set forth. 18. As an article of manufacture, a crushed cellular cement aggregate comprising expanded argillaceous material free from laminations or planes of cleavage. I

19. A non-laminated aggregate produced by burning argillaceous material in its natural state, to convert such material to a vesicumy hand.

- STEPHEN J. HAYDE. 

